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15 Responses to "White people need to acknowledge privilege"

As an older white male american, I know I am born to privilege, I will not be stopped by a store’s security guy, because he things I am likely to steal, I am not going to be pulled over for “driving while black”, I will not be questions for a whole range of things, so I ask the other question, why do people assume that people of other colors are more likely to do.. (fill in the blank) but I know this happens. Just look at “stop and frisk” in New York city, more people of color than any one else…

I am an older white male American and have been stopped and searched by the local PD while I was in uniform. I viewed it as the right thing to do since they were searching a lot of other people. We do have some police that search people as a way to harass but, others are just doing their job.

I understand what caused those issues in the past but where I live, all you here on the Police scanners 3/4 of the time is Black male, armed robbery… Right now and here, this has to do with young people being thugs and not going to school. Lack of two parents helping each raise a child. Kids running around on the streets. No respect for authority. Feeling an entitlement that it seems I or all of society owes to a race, gender, class…bullcrap! Step up and take responsibility. The only people we ever owed anything too were Native Americans because we damn near wiped out their entire race.

As a very rare white person who has seen both sides of privilege. I spend the first 20 years of my life looking like the typical white American, getting every job and being welcomed everywhere. At that point I realized I needed to stop hiding who I was and began dressing like the Muslim am. Suddenly everything changed. I was priviledged and if I was shallow enough to turn my back on my faith, I could be priviledged again.

Before, I like most white people, had no clue how priveledged I was. No clue that I got that job not because I was the most qualified, but because I looked like someone who would “fit in”. But you also have to know prejudice works both ways. I have faced as much discrimination from African American Christians as from whites.

As a black woman, I try to be in the entitlement crowd. I take free things at every possible moment. Give me welfare, give me a free Obama phone, give me free section 8 housing. I want everything I can get out of the federal government. I do not work, but I feel everyone should provide for my 8 children. I kept having children, because I get paid for each child I bring into this world! Easy money. Keep going Obama! I am on your side. FREE FREE FREE !! I want to see you for a 3rd term.

I believe that we all should earn our own way. I had my first experience with discrimination when I was 17 years old and applying for a job. I didn’t let it mold me into a hate filled person.
I was applying for a job at the local shopping mall and was told that unless I was a “Black, female, over 35” I couldn’t be hired. I was discouraged but, I couldn’t let it define me. We need to stop the hate and just allow everyone to be a wonderful part of our lives. It doesn’t matter where our ancestors come from it matters what we choose to allow to define us.

If only it were that simple. It’s hard to acknowledge privilege when you can’t even see it. When I hear people talking about white privilege I take their word for it. I believe it exists but the only obvious place I can see it is in all the times I haven’t been called out when I should’ve been. The fact that nobody challenged me was probably evidence of my own privilege but I bet there are a million other places where I don’t see it. If you don’t experience racism it’s hard to be aware of when it’s at play. Telling people to acknowledge something they aren’t aware of isn’t going work out very well.

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